Painting a Maisonette in London: Colour Flow Across Split Levels

The Maisonette Challenge: Two Floors, One Scheme

A maisonette occupies a unique position in London's housing stock — a self-contained home spread across two or more levels within a larger building. In areas such as Pimlico, Islington and Notting Hill, Victorian and Edwardian conversion maisonettes are particularly common, often retaining original cornicing, panelled doors and timber staircases that reward thoughtful decoration.

The core challenge is colour flow. Walk into the lower level, ascend to the upper floor and the eye takes in both spaces almost simultaneously from the staircase landing. If the palette hasn't been considered as a whole, the result can feel disjointed — two separate flats rather than one connected home.

Establishing a Connective Thread

The most reliable approach is to anchor the scheme with a single neutral that runs throughout — typically used on ceilings and woodwork — then build the room colours as variations on a related family. A warm off-white such as Farrow & Ball's Pointing or Little Greene's Limestone on all ceilings and architraves creates the connective tissue that lets bolder choices on walls sit comfortably together.

From that base, consider tone rather than hue when moving between floors. If the lower level reception is a mid-grey with blue undertones, the upper bedrooms might carry lighter, slightly warmer greys — related but distinct. The staircase itself, being visible from both levels, is best treated as a bridge: the same tone as the hall below but with just enough warmth added to ease the transition upward.

The Staircase: Spine of the Home

In a maisonette, the staircase is not a secondary afterthought — it is the primary circulation space that both levels share. Paint it badly and both floors suffer.

Key decisions include:

Handrail and balusters. A painted handrail in a deep tone — black, dark navy or a rich chocolate — reads as a deliberate design choice rather than a budget concession. Pair it with white or cream balusters and the contrast gives the staircase its own visual weight without competing with the walls.

String and risers. Many London maisonettes have open-string staircases with visible risers. Painting risers in the same colour as skirting boards — rather than the wall — keeps them grounded and tidy.

Wall treatment on the stair run. The tall, narrow wall alongside a staircase ascent is one of the best places to introduce a feature colour. It is seen in passing rather than lived in, which makes it an ideal candidate for something a little more courageous — a deep sage, a dusty terracotta, or a slate blue.

Upper Floor: Lighter Doesn't Always Mean Better

The instinct to go lighter on the upper floor is understandable — ceilings often feel lower as roof structures intrude — but it is not always correct. Upper rooms in a maisonette frequently have the benefit of roof-level skylights or dormer windows that flood the space with more natural light than the lower floor receives. In those cases, a richer colour on the upper walls can actually be better sustained.

Where ceiling heights genuinely are constrained, keep the ceiling and upper wall section in the same pale tone, and introduce depth lower on the walls — either via a dado treatment or simply a mid-tone that doesn't compete upward with the ceiling line.

Practical Logistics

Working across two floors in an occupied maisonette requires careful sequencing. Typically our teams work floor by floor — completing the lower level first (including the lower staircase section) before moving up, so residents retain access to one functional floor throughout. Drop cloths are run continuously from the front door to the working area, protecting the stripped-back staircase throughout.

In Chelsea and Belgravia maisonettes where parquet or original timber floors remain, all paint is applied using low-spray or brush-only methods near floor level to avoid drift settling on finished surfaces.

Choosing the Right Finish

For connecting spaces such as halls and staircases, an eggshell or satin finish on walls outperforms matt — it handles the scuffs and finger marks that high-traffic areas inevitably attract, and it doesn't show roller stipple. On ceilings throughout, a flat white remains the safest and most elegant choice.

A Note on Period Details

Many Pimlico and Marylebone maisonettes retain original plaster cornicing, ceiling roses and dado rails. These should be picked out in a white that is slightly warmer or cooler than the wall — not the same tone, which causes them to disappear, and not stark brilliant white, which makes them look stuck on. The cornice mediates between wall and ceiling; its colour should do the same.

Planning the colour scheme of a maisonette rewards time spent with large paint swatches under both artificial and natural light at each level before committing. If you would like advice or a sample assessment for your London maisonette, contact our team for a no-obligation survey.